The Supreme Court has issued a circular tightening adjournment rules, permitting deferments only in exceptional circumstances. Superseding earlier November and December 2025 directives, it distinguishes fresh or after-notice matters from regular matters, completely barring adjournments in regular listed cases.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court issued a new circular tightening the rules for seeking adjournments, making clear that deferment requests will be allowed only in exceptional situations.
This new directive supersedes earlier circulars issued on November 29, 2025, and December 2, 2025. The circular differentiates between fresh/after-notice matters and regular matters, prohibiting adjournments entirely for the latter.
For fresh and after-notice matters, advocates-on-record or parties-in-person may circulate adjournment letters, but under a stricter procedure.
The party requesting an adjournment must serve an advance copy on the opposing side or caveator and file the request with proof of service by 11 a.m. on the previous working day.
The opposite side is also given an opportunity to oppose the request.
Under the circular, the other side or caveator “will have liberty to raise objection to such a request” by sending a response to the notified email before 12 noon, and any such objection will be circulated to the Court.
The Court has made it mandatory to disclose reasons and any prior adjournments.
The circular states that,
“Specific reason for seeking adjournment and number of adjournments already sought in the case shall be mentioned.”
Importantly, adjournments will not be granted routinely.
The circular specifies,
“Adjournment of the case will be considered only under exceptional circumstances i.e., bereavement in the family or medical / health condition of the Advocate / Party in-person or such other genuine reason to the satisfaction of the Hon’ble Court,”
The March 18 circular also restricts repeated deferment requests.
It prescribes,
“Letters seeking adjournment in fresh cases are permitted to be circulated only once.”
Additionally, two consecutive adjournments regardless of which party requests them will not be allowed unless the case is listed before the Court.
Requests must be submitted “in the prescribed format as per Annexure – A” via the designated email address, adjournment.letter@sci.nic.in.
For regular matters, the Court has completely eliminated adjournments.
The circular states,
“No Letters seeking for adjournment of regular cases listed before the Hon’ble Courts will be permitted,”
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